 The LBD [little black dress], pearls, tweed jackets, camellias, quilted handbags, two-toned ballet flats... when you consider the iconic fashion elements attributed to Gabrielle Chanel, it’s no wonder she’s regarded as one of, if not the, most influential designers of the 20th Century.
Born into a modest and provincial family on August 19, 1883, Chanel was orphaned at a young age and grew up in a convent school. It was here she learned the rudiments of sewing and at the age of 18, went to work in a hosiery store. But the stylish young woman soon grew bored, and turned her attentions to the local cafés where she sang on stage. Admiring audiences called her Coco, a name that stayed with her forever.
It was here that Chanel was spotted by Etienne Balsan, a wealthy racehorse owner, who introduced her to the equestrian world which would influence her designs throughout her career. But it was the man she met next, Arthur 'Boy' Capel, the love of her life, who would set her fashion empire in motion when he loaned her the money for her first milliner's studio in Paris in 1910. Boutiques in other parts of France quickly followed as her reputation for stylish, original hats, clothing and accessories spread.
The men in Chanel's life had a direct influence on her designs. Chanel repaid Boy Capel’s loan but she raided his wardrobe, borrowing trousers, pyjamas, straw boaters and jackets, and made them her own. From the Duke of Westminster, she took a love of sailing jumpers, gold buttons, white cuffs and tweed jackets. And from Russia’s Grand Duke Dmitri she borrowed the roubachka [a traditional Russian blouse], fur-lined coats and embroidery. The masculine energy Chanel drew from her lovers she poured into her constantly evolving designs, and women everywhere loved it. The American press couldn't get enough of it, fuelling her meteoric rise to fame.
In 1921 came her first perfume, Chanel No 5. It was an instant classic – even decades before Marilyn Monroe told the world it was the only thing she wore to bed. Made from May roses, jasmine and aldehydes, it remains the world's most successful fragrance.
Chanel, a canny businesswoman, continued to redefine “style” through her innovative garment and accessory designs. She created the little black dress, and endorsed black as perennially stylish and effortlessly chic. She felt the same way about white. But Chanel didn't confine her talents to fashion, and she spent time amongst the artistic luminaries of her era. She collaborated with Picasso and Cocteau at the theatre, supported Stravinsky, Diaghilev and others. She socialised with friends in Venice and screen goddesses in Hollywood and at the The Ritz in Paris, the hotel which would eventually become her home.
Even in her 70s, Chanel was still producing brilliant garments and accessories. In the mid-Fifties, she introduced women to the trimmed tweed suit, the diamond quilted leather handbag, the camellia, two-tone shoes – all of which have become highly-coveted classics. This late creative outburst saw her regain her position as the world's reigning designer.
Coco Chanel died on January 10, 1971, just a few days before her spring/summer haute couture show, but the Chanel book was by no means closed. Karl Lagerfeld, who took over in 1983, has taken the illustrious label into the 21st Century with not just clothes and handbags, but make-up and beauty treatments, a multitude of fragrances, watches and fine jewellery, and today the Chanel brand is a fashion powerhouse.
By Carolyn Ford
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